A very important management option for smallholder farmers in Africa, based on the experience of smallholders in the Americas, is to visit their fields regularly, and crush egg masses and young larvae*(“use your fingers, not pesticides”). Farmers should visit fields twice a week during vegetative stage, especially in periods of heavy oviposition by FAW, and once a week or every 15 days in later stages.
Some smallholder farmers in the Americas report using ash, sand, sawdust or dirt into whorls to control FAW larvae. Ash, sand and sawdust may desiccate young larvae.
Dirt may contain entomopathogenic nematodes, Nucleo- polyhedrosis Virus (NPV), or bacteria (such as Bacillus sp.) that can kill FAW larvae.
Smallholder maize farmers in Central America and FFS farmers in Africa also report using lime, salt, oil and soapsas control tactics. Lime and ash are very alkaline.
They also use local botanicals (neem, hot pepper, local plants) and some farmers report success.
Other farmers recycle the naturally-occurring entomopathogens, by collecting the larvae killed by virus or fungi, grinding them, straining the body parts out (leaving just the fungal spores or viroid particles), mixing this filtrate with water and spraying it back into the whorls of infested plants (see also the following section on biological control).
Some FFS farmers report effectively pouring water in the maize whorl to drown the larvae.
Other farmers in Central America and FFS farmers in Africa use sugary sprays, oil or lard, ‘fish soup’ or other material to attract ants and wasps to the maize plants. The predatory ants are attracted to the lard, oil, bits of fish parts, or sugar; once on the maize plants, they also find and eat FAW larvae.
Finally, FFS farmers for instance in Benin, reported picking larvae to feed them to chicks for poultry production.
FAW are also edible for human consumption. In countries where insects are consumed, they can be a good complementary source of protein for local population.
Very little formal “scientific” studies have been carried out on these local controls, but many farmers including in Africa report success with them. They should be further tried by farmers under their local conditions.
* It is important however, that mechanical controls such as crushing egg masses and picking larvae do not interfere with children’s regular attendance at school.